OTHER MAKERS OF WESTERN CATTLE HISTORY 491 



troduce fresh blood after a long course of close 

 breeding, finally giving it up. His herd continued 

 to produce great cattle, in spite of this fact, long 

 after the supposed need of fresh blood had been the 

 subject of general comment. 



The fact is, that the history of beef cattle breed- 

 ing seems to show that while most great successes 

 have been made through a concentration of the 

 blood of some animal or animals distinguished for 

 desirable characteristics, yet after the policy of 

 breeding in-and-in has progressed to a certain point 

 it becomes difficult, if not wholly impossible, to 

 throw in fresh blood without doing more harm than 

 good. And also, if great care and judgment are 

 used in mating, the close breeding of good animals 

 can be pursued without evil results for a much 

 longer period than has commonly been deemed pos- 

 sible. On the contrary, the case of the gradual ex- 

 tinction and wretched deterioration shown by the 

 last of the so-called "pure Bates" Shorthorns 

 should be a warning for all time against the breed- 

 ing of cattle of indifferent merit from close affinities, 

 especially in inexperienced hands. 



